Border Protection officers and officials from the Consumer Product Safety Commission seized two containers full of FOX Sports Cleatus Robot action figures at a Seattle port in January. The Chinese-made toys, valued at almost $100K, were found to have unacceptable levels of lead in violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

Swisslog SpeciMinder and RoboCourier Robots

Swisslog Healthcare announced they will be making available two new robots to hospitals, the SpeciMinder and RoboCourier. The robots are made for Swisslog by CCS Robotics and are based on the MobileRobots MT400 bases and Motivity autonomy technology. The Swisslog press release explains what the robots are for:

SpeciMinder is designed exclusively for INTRA-departmental materials transport. For example, a large one-floor laboratory or pharmacy in which several workers frequently move goods among multiple workstations is an ideal environment for SpeciMinder. RoboCourier will be available later this year and is designed for INTER-departmental materials transport. Like SpeciMinder, RoboCourier will be able to interface with doors, but it will have the added capability of interfacing with elevators and navigating hallways. This capability will allow RoboCourier to navigate multiple floors within a hospital, meaning it can transport materials from one department to another.

For more, see the Swisslog press release. If you'd like all the hardware details on the base, check out the MobileRobots MT400 Technical specifications.

Researchers from Argonne National Lab and elsewhere are finding ways to use the motion of swimming bacteria to move very tiny gears. The gear's shape directs a group of unsuspecting bacteria in such a way as to cause rotary motion. This motion can then be used to power tiny mechanical systems - possibly medical devices or maybe even tiny robots. Speed of the gears can be controlled by modulating the oxygen level within the suspension fluid - since bacteria love o2, feeding them more increases the speed while cutting off the supply stops motion.

Weird Force One: Robot-a-day Mission

I'm not sure exactly what Weird Force One is; person, art collective, disembodied hand. What ever it is, it's making robots; lots of tiny robots constructed from found materials. Here's how the creator(s) of this video describes it:

The Robot-A-Day creative mission undertaken by Weird Force One at the request of some sort of Robotic overlord that showed up to his new year's party and never left. Will Weird Force One really build a giant robot army over the course of the entire year???

You can check out the photo gallery on the Weird Force One Facebook page for a better at some of these robots.

CMU scientists announced significant progress in deciphering how the brain encodes language, resulting in a testable neurosemantic theory predicting what area of the brain will activate for specific nouns. Find out more in the press release or the research paper (PDF format). Adam Claflin sent us links to his handmade robots which look like a cross between BEAM robots and art objects. If you see one you like, you can probably pick it up on his Etsy site. If you're looking to buy a robot in Australia, Michael Gruber writes to tell us that his retail robot store, called the Robot E Shop carries the Metal Fighter robot made by Mini Robot of Korea. They also sell Innovati robotic systems and Gestream's tiny BeRobot humanoid. VIA, always working on smaller computers, announced the Mobile-ITX, a 6x6cm form factor x86 module. The Swirling Brain has swirled up a couple of interesting stories too, including a new artificial larnyx that synthesizes speech in response to a tongue-activate palatometer and the all-time creepiest baby-headed robot ever conceived. Know any other robot news, gossip, or amazing facts we should report? Send 'em our way please. And don't forget to follow us on twitter.

Robot Evolution Through Intelligent Design

That's the motto of RoMeLa, the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech. At RoMeLa, Dennis W. Hong, PhD and his students have been creating a lot of really interesting new robots. In the video above from the TEDxNASA conference, Hong offers a short overview of their research. Of particular interest to hobbyists should be the DARwIn humanoid robot. According to an Industrial Embedded Systems article, a low-cost open hardware version of is planned. Oh, and if you're wondering about that motto, Hong tells us:

Though it has both "evolution" and "intelligent design" in the sentence, it has nothing to do with either - "we" push the boundaries and come up with the next generation robotics (robot evolution) through us doing rigorous research and designing them intelligently (intelligent design). I think it is a clever tag line for our lab.

If you're interested, you can find out more about several of the robots and their unusual modes of locomotion at the RoMeLa website including STriDER, CLIMBeR, IMPASS, and HyDRAS-Arm. There is also a website for TEAM DARwIn and their efforts to win the RoboCup Humanoid League soccer competition. Hong and his robots were recently highlighted by Popular Science in the article Ten Young Geniuses Shaking up Science Today.

Pololu has posted a tutorial for an easy-to-build hexapod robot. As can be seen in the above video, despite the robot's small size, it can walk forward or backward, turn left or right, and has IR sensors for obstacle avoidance. Paul Grayson of Pololu writes,

I wanted to point you to a new tutorial I posted on building a really simple, low-cost hexapod walker (using the Micro Maestro, of course) I am hoping that the simplicity of the design will appeal to a lot of people who want to take their first "step" beyond differential drive bots.

Not surprisingly, you can get all the parts you'll need at Pololu. It's based on the new Micro Maestro USB servo controller, three sub-micro servos, two Sharp GP2Y0D810Z0F sensors, and a 4.8v battery pack. Add some jumbo paper clips, some hot glue, and you've got a little robot. For complete documentation on construction and programming, see Pololu's full article, titled Simple Hexapod Walker.

Robotic Maid Makes Breakfast

Mahru-Z is the robotic maid that can make breakfast!. Given certain voice commands the robot can perform functions such as working a microwave, delivering toast, and other tasks such as washing clothes. The robots can see with stereoscopic vision and can identify what objects are and even decide what jobs needs to be done with the objects. In the video, one robot appears to be tethered and the other is not making me wonder if they are really self contained. Also, one is wearing a dress and the other not, so are they both maids or is one a butler? Shouldn't they just call them robotic servants or is that redundant? Regardless, although not apparently sentient, these do appear to be advanced robots. I only wonder if they washed their hands before and after handling the food?

The folks at the I heart robotics blog let us know that Willow Garage, the startup working on the PR2 personal robot and the open source Robot Operating System, just announced a PR2 Beta Program. They're looking for labs and research organizations willing to work with the PR2 and contribute to the rapidly growing ROS software stack. Make a proposal describing the open source software and scientific contribution you'd like to make. Willow Garage will give a PR2 to those organizations with the best proposals. They'll favor proposals that do one or more of the following

* Enable scientific breakthroughs in personal robotics
* Expand the open source robotics community
* Develop reusable components and tools
* Dxplore new applications for personal robots

The Robot Operating System, despite the name, is not an OS but a software stack that runs on top of the GNU/Linux OS and includes a standardized robot-specific API, the OpenCV libraries, Player/Stage, and the TREX goal/event driven behavior framework. For details on how to participate, see the Call For Proposals. For all the details on the PR2 robot itself, see the PR2 specification page. To see an early prototype of the PR2 in action, see our previous video of the robot plugging itself in to recharge.

Humanity Hangs in the Balance

Chris McVeigh (AKA: PowerPig) catches Optimus Prime and Megamunk in the throws of battle. Exactly who will come out on top is still uncertain. Meanwhile, check out PowerPig's Flickr photostream and start off your workweek with a smile.

Steve Ross of telovation.com writes, "The robotic Better Mousetrap detects and exterminates everything in sight. Your visitors might also get a kick out of the video". The "Better Mousetrap" was built by Jake Easton who notes, "junk is the inventors best friend, and goes a long way to keeping project costs down". Jake admits that his mousetrap may be a bit overdesigned but does look awfully cool and it's very shiny. For all the technical details see the inventor's press release.

Random Robot Roundup

Reader Carlos Montesinos noticed that Evolution Robotics is now selling their own floor cleaning robot called Mint, a little square robot that appears to clean the floor by pushing a paper towel around. Our friends at Plastic Pals posted a story with some video of the Fujitsu ENON robot working a crowd. Rog-a-matic was amused by the artist's take on robot waste in an ad for electro-recycling. 3 Quarks Daily has a short piece on Obama's progress in reversing what some have called the Bush administration's war on science. The short version is: things are looking up but there's a long way to go. Finally, Travis Deyle writes, "I thought you might find this interesting. It's a robot that uses electrostatic field sensing (much like those off-the-shelf capacitance sensors) to find and plug itself into wall outlets." We also reported on the self-plugging Willow Garage robot recently. Know any other robot news, gossip, or amazing facts we should report? Send 'em our way please. And don't forget to follow us on twitter.

One typical area of application for robots are dangerous environments. Say 1000m below the ocean surface. Or next to an erupting volcano. Or both, as recently accomplished by Woods Hole's ROV JASON. As expedition leader Alberto "Tito" Collasius Jr. tells us in the latest episode of Robots, driving a robot next to an explosively erupting volcano will give even the most seasoned deep-sea explorer sweaty palms. For a closer look, check out these two amazing videos, tune in or read on.

Robots Aid Rescue Teams in Haiti

We're not surprised to see robots aiding in disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Beale Air Force Base has dispatched a Global Hawk UAV that will provide aerial imagery to support humanitarian efforts. But it looks like ground-based search and rescue robots may not be as useful as in past disasters. Dr. Robin Murphy of CRASAR says they are unlikely to send a ground-based search and rescue robot team as their robots are primarily useful in large building collapses, not in residential areas, "dogs smell much faster than the most agile robot can get in the rubble." She goes on to say,

In these large geographically distributed disasters, aerial assets are helpful in establishing what is damaged, where people appear to be in the most danger or need, and whether roads are passable. Marine vehicles can be of value in inspecting sea walls and checking shipping channels.

The United Nations has deployed several USAR teams into Haiti from around the world, including two teams from the US. One is the California heavy rescue task force, CA-TF2, a 70 person team with 55,000 lbs of urban search and rescue gear and medical equipment. Second is the Virginia VA-TF1 team with another 72 personnel and 48 tons of heavy equipment. Both teams have used search and rescue robots on past missions but there's no word yet on exactly what equipment was shipped to Haiti. It is known that both teams will make heavy use of canine teams. The US Government has deployed military teams to Haiti as well. US Air Force teams will repair runways and set up air traffic control needed to get the main airport back in operation. The US Navy is deploying at least 7 vessels including a hospital ship, along with teams for rescue, salvage, and construction. The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, which is en route, typically carries ROVs, AUVs, and Predator UAVs. US Coast Guard cutters, C-130 aircraft, and helicopters have been deployed for search and rescue. If you want to do something to help as well, visit Google's Haiti disaster response page.

GML = Graffiti Markup Language from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

Ah the beautiful scourge of city dwellers. Some love it and some hate it. If you are talented at graffiti then why not save your graffiti art in GML (Graffiti Markup Language) and store it on 000000book.com and so bless posterity for all time and in their face! Oh, and then of course, projects. Yes, you will then be able to send your robot minions to reproduce your art and graffiti the world and even the future! Bwahahahaha! Check out such evil Graffiti projects as Robotagger, EyeWriter, and more graffiti projects.

Now, I’m totally in favor of a National Robotics Week… I just wish we’d have a National Robotics Year instead. And that it would be an annual event. But until that happens, April 10-18 of this year has been designated National Robotics Week (and a day?) by iRobot along with an “alliance of top industry, [...]

Heineken Bot Looks Cool, Pours Light

This Heineken pouring robot from Middlesex University was strutting its stuff at the Kinetica Gallery in London recently, driving around a table and pouring beer (a very little bit of beer) on demand. The bot is equipped with obstacle avoidance sensors as well as a sensor on top that you can wave at to signal [...]

I was too busy taking a nap to watch the Super Bowl, but fortunately the important parts of it are now up on YouTube. For what it’s worth, Intel, with the amount of money that this commercial probably cost you, I bet you could have made an actual Jeffrey. Jeffrey has his own Facebook page, of [...]

ChIMERA Whole Skin Locomotion Robot

Participants in DARPA’s ChemBots program are busy producing some pretty cool (and weird) robots. Already, we’ve seen a blob robot from iRobot as well as a creepy looking concept from Boston Dynamics. Video above comes from Virginia Tech’s RoMeLa Lab, and shows their ChIMERA robot, which is an acronym for “Chemically Induced Motion Everting Robotic [...]

Oh, if only ’twere this easy… $15, available for a severely limited time. [ shirt.woot ]

Robonaut 2 Functions Like Astronauts, Has Better Helmet

This badass looking android is Robonaut 2, a joint project of NASA and General Motors. Robonaut 2 is an evolution of Robonaut 1, who was spawned by NASA and DARPA and had an ATV for legs. R2 emulates the upper torso of a human, and is designed to work closely with humans using the same [...]

I’m not entirely sure why this robot is a robot, but it performs a useful purpose and looks fierce while doing so. Built by students from J T Engineering College in Gujarat, India, the robot is connected wirelessly to sensors embedded in the ground and can somehow detect impeding earthquakes about 3 hours before they [...]

Noel Sharkey Interviewed, Admits Trying To Kill ASIMO

Professor Noel Sharkey and I have differing perspectives on armed robots, and now I know I’m in the right, because Professor Noel Sharkey wants to kill ASIMO. Just kidding, of course, although in this interview from Silicon.com he talks about trying to push an ASIMO over in an attempt to determine whether or not it was [...]

Icosatetraped does, in fact, mean “twenty-four legged.” I’m not sure how to inject “soft” into that word (icostatetrasquishaped?), but this robot does have 24 soft legs. Or rather, 8 legs are soft (and moving) at any one time, while the other 16 are pressurized to carry the weight of the bot. It can move at [...]

Robots Evolve Cooperative Behaviors, Learn To Hunt And Be Hunted

Last time we heard about robot evolution, the bots were figuring out how to deceive each other. Now, researchers at EPFL in Switzerland have been using the same sort of genetic programming techniques to enable robots to teach themselves how to solve mazes, cooperate on tasks, and hunt each other (we’ll save that one for [...]

Joshua Portlock from Cyber Technology in Perth Australia tells us about Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and in particular the CyberQuad, a 4-rotor autonomous helicopter that can be used for surveillance and inspection of hard-to-reach places from the air.

Robots: Deep-Sea Exploration

Alberto Collasius Jr. from the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US talks about his time at sea as expedition leader with the JASON remotely operated vehicle.

Cecilia Lashi, co-coordinator of the Octopus European project, talks about a soft bio-mimetic robotic octopus arm; Hobbyist Carl Morgan, presents his sleek silver humanoid that rides behind your tandem bike and does all the pedaling; and Carson Reynolds, professor at the University of Tokyo, tells us about his high-speed robotic hand.

Robots: Weight-Loss Coach

Cory Kidd is the founder of Intuitive Automata Inc. which commercializes a robotic weight-loss coach born during his PhD at the MIT Media Lab. He tells us about how good human-robot interaction can keep people motivated to eat well and exercise. We'll also be holding a Christmas contest for a chance to win two robot kits for beginners.

Julie Townsend from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California talks about her work with NASA's Mars rovers and the lunar ATHLETE robot. Sebastian Gautsch from the the SAMLAB in Neuchatel, Switzerland, tells us about the Atomic Force Microscope that was sent to Mars aboard the Phoenix lander in the Spring of 2008.

Robots: Learning

Andrea Thomaz from Georgia Tech looks at how humans can teach and humanoids learn with the hope to create good human-robot interactions. We then speak with Sethu Vijayakumar from the University of Edinburgh about machine learning and how it can be used to teach a robot hand to balance a pole.

Ludovic Dovat from the Singapore National University tells us about stroke victims' trouble re-learning to use their hands, and the robotic systems he designed to help with the rehabilitation process. David Brown tells us about the effects of stroke and his company Kinea Design that produces robots that help people learn to walk in unstructured terrain.

Robots: Slithering Creatures

Howie Choset from Carnegie Mellon University explains the basics of snake robots, and how he hopes to see them used anywhere from disaster areas to industrial inspection or even surgery. Erik Kyrkjebø from SINTEF Applied Cybernetics in Norway speaks about their own pipe inspection robots as well as a snake robot designed for fighting fires.

Tony Prescott from the University of Sheffield speaks about active perception in rats, and presents his SCRATCHbot robot that features artificial whiskers. Elio Tuci from the Italian National Research Council speaks of a robot arm that can distinguish between different objects using active perception.

Robots: Emergent Communication

Sara Mitri, researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne speaks about her bio-inspired experiments on the evolution of communication. Jürgen Jost, director at Leipzig's Max Planck Institute, discusses intentionality in robot communication.

Dean Kaman from DEKA research speaks about the spirit of invention that drives him to create products that improve lives, and of the FIRST initiative that encourages young children to get engaged in engineering and science.

Robots: Robot-Assisted Surgery

Rainer Konietschke at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Centre explains the MiroSurge project for robotic endoscopic surgery. Woung Youn Chung at the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea explains using the Da Vinci surgical robot to treat thyroid cancer.

Charles Higgins from the University of Arizona tells us how he uses insects to control robot motion. Steve Potter from the Georgia Institute of Technololgy explains how he grows neural circuitry in a Petri-dish and interfaces it with robots.

Robots: Smart Homes

Roger Orpwood, director of the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering in the UK explains how smart homes can be used to help dementia patients stay independent and receive better care. Andrew Sixsmith, Professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada then shares his experience from a medical perspective.

Richard Jones, Professor of Physics at the University of Sheffield in the UK talks about Soft Machines, the future nanorobots inspired from biology.

Robots: From Animals to Automation

Markus Fischer, head of the Bionic Learning Network project and head of Corporate Design talks transferring technology from biomimetic research to actual products and their work on the AquaPenguin, AquaRay and AirJelly. Victor Zykov, PhD and PostDoc from Cornell University talks about modular robotics and introduces his bio-inspired Molecubes.

Fred Barton, also known as "Robotman", introduces Robby the Robot and talks about building robot collectibles for museums and fellow enthusiasts.

Robots: Autonomous City Explorer

Dirk Wollherr, senior researcher at the Technical University of Munich, and Astrid Weiss from the University of Salzburg on the design and the goals of the Autonomous City Explorer (ACE) robot.

Swiss theater director Christian Denisart talks about his latest play where 3 of the 5 main characters are mobile robots. Nicolas Tomatis, CEO of Bluebotics Ltd., describes the three robotic actors, an obedient robot dog, a distinguished robot butler and a sensual female, in more detail.

Robots: Collective Coverage and Self-Assembly

MIT's Nikolaus Correll on his robot swarms for turbine inspection and his latest research on cooperating networks. In part two Roderich Gross introduces the swarm-bots and his work on robot cooperation, self-assembly and division of labour.

Theo Jansen describes his Strandbeest, giant walking creatures that can walk and sense their environments. We then talk to Jaimie Mantzel who is building a giant 6-legged robot on his mountain in Vermont.

Robots: The Race to the Moon

William "Red" Whittaker, director of the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon University, talks about his team's bid for the Google Lunar X Prize.

In this episode we speak with Chris Rogers about the use of LEGO in educating young children in engineering, math and science. We then speak with Liz Herron on her experiences with children using LEGO MINDSTORMS robotic kits at the LEGO Education Centre.

Robots: The REEM-B and HUBO Humanoids

In this episode we speak with Davide Faconti, leader of the REEM project, one of the few European contenders in humanoid robotics. We then speak with Jun Ho Oh from South Korea who was the general chair of the last International Conference on Humanoid Robots for his snapshot view of the field as well as the HUBO humanoids developed in his lab.

This second episode in a two-part series on Robot Ethics interviews Ronald Arkin, Regents' Professor and Associate Dean for Research at Georgia Tech University in the US. Topics include military robots, robots in the society, medical robots and legal responsibilities.

Robots: Robot Ethics (Part 1)

This first episode in a two part series on Robot Ethics interviews Noel Sharkey, Professor of Public Engagement, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Topics include military robots, robots in the society, medical robots and legal responsibilities.

David Levy, author of the book "Love + Sex with Robots" and Kathleen Richardson who is a doctor of Robot Anthropology at Cambridge University discuss the future of human-robot relationships, both physical and emotional.

Robots: Industrial Robots in Research

Raúl Ordóñez from the Motoman Robotics Lab talks about research in industrial robotics and how he hopes to use visual servoing as a feedback mechanism allowing robot arms to accomplish complex tasks such as juggling.

We review the biggest events in robotics in 2008 and look to what 2009 has to offer with our panel of experts: Dan Kara from Robotics Trends, Terry Fong from the NASA Ames Research Center, Dario Floreano from the EPFL, Steve Rainwater from robots.net, and Minoru Asada from Osaka University.

Robots: Robot Toys

Mark Tilden, passionate robot builder with WowWee Robotics, talks about designing robots for children, and what he thinks that scientists and researchers can learn from the toy industry.

Gil Weinberg who is the Director of Music Technology at Georgia Tech, presents his wooden robot drummer Haile that is capable of playing with human teachers and even evolving its own beats to reach robotic improvisation. He also introduces his latest robot, Shimon the Marimba player. Our second guest, Atsuo Takanishi describes the Waseda Flutist, a robot that mimics human lungs, vocal chords, and lips to accurately play the flute.

Robots: Bio-inspired locomotion

Robert Full from UC Berkley presents his research on animal locomotion and how his insights have been inspiring engineers to create robots. Auke Ijspeert from the EPFL then shares some thoughts on bio-inspired locomotion.

Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University introduces his androids, including the robotic replicate of his then 5 year old daughter, a female android modeled after the NHK news announcer Ayako Fujii and a copy of himself, the Geminoid. He explains Android Science and how his explorations of the uncanny valley may help to understand human presence. This episode then features the last quarter of Science Fiction author Jack Graham's "Selkies".

Robots: Jumping and Crawling in Millirobots

Sarah Bergbreiter from the University of Maryland gives us an overview of her work with robotic mobile sensor networks, walking and jumping micro-robots as well as fast prototyping of novel robots. Aaron Hoover at Berkeley talks about novel manufacturing techniques with smart composites. This episode then features the third part of Science Fiction author Jack Graham's "Selkies".

In this episode Raffaello D'Andrea of KIVA Systems describes how hundreds of autonomous robots can be used to automate warehouses. This episode then features the second part of Science Fiction author Jack Graham's "Selkies".

Robots: Swarming Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

In this show we dive into the world of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with Navinda Kottege from the Australian National University. In the second part Marc Sherman from Teledyne RD Instruments tells us more about AUV technology and the importance of Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs) for underwater navigation. Finally we are treated to the first part of Science Fiction author Jack Graham's story "Selkies".

In this episode we dive into the revolution brought on by the field of probabilistic robotics with Claudio Mattiussi. We then launch a most "uncertain" competition to see how good our listeners are at making probabilistic predictions to estimate the cleaning capabilities of a Roomba robot.

Robots: Bacteria-propelled microrobots

This episode discusses bacteria-propelled micro robots and their potential for medical applications inside the human body. In the first part Metin Sitti explains how his robots can join forces with bacteria. In the second part gastroenterologist Mark Schattner discusses current uses and future potential from a medical perspective.

In this episode we cover two major events in aerial robotics: the announcement of the DelFly Micro and the 2008 European Micro Air Vehicle (EMAV) Competition. We first speak with Christophe de Wagter, a member of the Dutch team that's been churning out amazing flapping-wing robots in the last few years. Our second interview features Peter Vörsmann, chair of this year's EMAV competition, to explain the latest advances in autonomous flying vehicles.

Robots: The Robot Blogosphere

This episode gives an insight into part of the online robotics community. We interview Steve Rainwater on his experience with robots.net, the first and probably largest robot community site online. Mikell Taylor shares her experience with the IEEE Spectrum Automaton blog and also gives us a quick insight into her current job at Bluefin Robotics.

This episode centers on modular robots. We interview Kasper Stoy on research in Modular Robotics. Robert Fitch gives an insight into Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots.

Robots: Robot Soccer

Manuela Veloso, President-Elect of the International RoboCup Federation, gives a look behind the scenes of robot soccer.

This episode centers on the robotic fly, featuring interviews with professor Robert Wood at Harvard university and with Paola Antonelli, the curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Robots: Cornell Racing Team and Velodyne's LIDAR Sensor

Our inaugural episode centers on the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, featuring interviews with professor Daniel Huttenlocher from Team Cornell and Rick Yoder from Velodyne, a producer of LIDAR sensors used by several teams in the challenge.

Robots: Coming Soon! This is the trailer for the new Robots podcast, your source for news and views on robotics. Our inaugural episode will be released on 6 June 2008.

An ingenious recreation of Pac-Man with Roombas - autonomous robot vacuum cleaners.

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Mind-controlled Robotic Hand which can Feel

Scientists from Italy and Sweden developed a new artificial hand that can actually feel, as it is directly linked to the brain. The brain picks up the sensors in the hand, and the hand picks up signals from the brain.

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A short demonstration of a new flying robot aircraft which is the size of a small bird. It is capable of hanging in the air like an insect and can move in any direction.

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Robotic Hands move faster than the eyes can see

These high-speed Japanese robots can do precise operations at a blisteringly fast speed.

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A highly realistic Einstein robot developed at the University of California, San Diego. The robot can learn how to smile through self-guided learning.

Juan Enriquez: Tech evolution will eclipse the financial crisis (TEDTalks)

A humorous, inspiring and eye-opening presentation about the financial crisis and the potential of technology to reboot the economy.

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This 1.5 m. (5 foot) tall robot can play the violin thanks to its human like dexterity. It is one of a number of robots Toyota is developing to assist humans in Japan's greying society.

Mythbusters - Mona Lisa drawn in 80 milliseconds

This video shows the difference between a CPU (robot) and a GPU by demonstrating their painting capacities.

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Scientists at Reading University have created a robot that is controlled by living rat brain cells grown in a lab.

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Amphibious Robot Snake

The ACM-R5 robot snake can glide through water elegantly. It was developed by the Hirose-Fukushima Robotics Lab in Japan.

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The Trons is a self-playing robot band consisting of four robots - two guitar players (one of whom also does the vocals), a keyboard player and a drummer.

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Big Dog - an ultra stable quadruped robot

BigDog is a dynamically stable robot using four legs for movement. This video demonstrates how it handles being kicked, balancing on slippery ice and overcoming obstacles.

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Robots with a mind of their own are now being created which can physically join together and self-assemble to fulfill different functions.

Remote-controlled robot insects

Not even the most sophisticated of today's robots come close to mimicking the flight aerobatics of insects. However, researchers have found a way around that: by programming and taking control of real insects.

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An ingenious lego robot solves a Rubik's Cube in just a few minutes.

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Puppy vs Robot

"When I brought home a Roboquad robot the other day and started playing with it, our resident guardian K9 was none too pleased.

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Robotics researchers are increasingly turning to nature for inspiration. Watch a robotic salamander, a water strider robot, mechanical cockroaches and some cool self-configuring robots.

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Robotic Fish

These robotic fish developed at Essex University look and move almost like the real thing.

Two dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus rex and Parasaurolophus, have been brought to life by Japanese scientists.

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A Lego Mindstorms Car Factory

An amazing automated lego factory that produces little lego cars. A fascinating (albeit somewhat slow-paced) video that truly shows the power of lego.

Walking and running humanoid robot which can carry and deliver items. It can run at a speed of up to of 6 km/h and slalom around obstacles.

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Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot

The "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot" is an experimental mechanism in which a live cockroach is the pilot. It stands on top of a trackball which has been modified to control a three-wheeled robot.

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A real transforming robot which can turn from a car into a humanoid-like robot. A larger scale version would have been even more amazing.

Dancing Robots by Sony

These smooth moving Sony robots have some impressive dance moves.

Assimilate them early! Corrupt their minds before they have a chance to live a life free from fascination with robots. Yes, we are talking about our youth. We must teach them to master the machines to avoid enslavement in the future! Trossen Robotics has been filling the professional hobby robotics niche for [...]

MINI Robocontroller now available!

Yet another great microcontroller from our friends over at Vanadium Labs; the MINI Robocontroller is now available for sale! This is an extremely versatile Arduino-software compatible microcontroller that packs a lot of features in a very small footprint. It is also the board used for the target/scoring system in the Mech Warfare robotics competition. Read more [...]

The long awaited Bioloid Premium Kit has arrived! Thanks to all of those who pre-ordered, your orders are being shipped today with Free 2nd Day Air shipping! We managed to pick up a handful of extra kits for those who missed the Pre-Order. Quantities are extremely limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. [...]

HUV Robotics Bioloid Accessories are back!

Our good friend Jon Hylands has finally returned to producing his widely popular 3rd party Bioloid add-on & accessory boards, and they are now in stock and ready to ship! We have had a huge demand for these and many people were disappointed when production was stopped, but we and surely many others will be [...]

.NET Developers rejoice! The Serializer WL has dropped $30 in price down to $99.95, making this powerful robot controller even more accessible. Easy Robot Control using .NET or Robotics Studio: The Serializer WL Robot Controller provides a ready-to-use solution to interface the Microsoft™ .NET framework or Microsoft™ Robotics Studio to common robotic hardware. Never [...]

arbotiX Robocontroller Now Available!

We’re officially launching this much anticipated new Robocontroller today! Thanks to all of those who pre-ordered, your board should be on it’s way! Our initial stock of these is limited, so get em while they’re hot! The arbotiX Robocontroller, an advanced 3rd party Bioloid controller, is now in stock and ready to be sold! It incorporates [...]

GM and NASA unveil the latest upgrades to the torso-bot, Robonaut2. The new R2 shows off impressive design, flexes complex abilities and, finally, brings real-world job skills-in the factory or at the space station-to the humanoid bot.

The Uncertain Future For Social Robots

Humans have feared a robotic uprising since the machines first appeared in science fiction. Today, experts caution against a more insidious threat: We might like living with them too much.

The 8 Evil Forms of AI That Gave Robots a Bad Name

It's not the hardware that makes the evil robot one of western culture's most powerful myths. It's the software-namely the artificial intelligence-that turns machines into monsters. Here is a timeline with the most iconic examples of malevolent AI and the fears each inspired.

Popular Mechanics sat down with Barbara Ponce, Manager of Corporate and Diversity Advertising at Honda, just after an Asimo demonstration at the Sundance Film Festival's Village at the Yard.

The Truth About Robots and the Uncanny Valley: Analysis

An oft-cited theory in robotics, the uncanny valley, refers to that point along the chart of robot-human likeness where a robot looks and acts nearly-but not exactly-like a human. But there are holes in the data. Does the theory make sense?

This Saturday, thousands of high school students around the country learned how they'll spend the next six weeks: building robots that can kick, climb and slide under barriers for a game of high-tech soccer. Here's how this year's bot-throwdown will work.

New Underwater Explorers Go Where Scientists Can't

Recently, an unmanned robot completed a 3300-mile trek across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. By employing everything from robots to, yes, tadpoles, scientists hope to learn more about how climate change and pollution are affecting the earth's water.

Greg Schroll's robot isn't your regular pendulum-powered spherical bot. With Schroll's unique design this ball bot can roll, dodge and even climb stairs.

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Intelligent, manned machines aren't just for warplanes and border guards-they can be found on the farm too. Increasingly, agro-bots are taking laborious tasks out of the farmer's helper's hands, and saving time and money in the process.

Autonomous Autos: New Kit Converts Any Vehicle Into a Robot (With Video)

There are many ways that the unmanned vehicle revolution can reach beyond the frontlines. Why not retrofit existing vehicles? The Pronto4 Strap-On Autonomy System can transform any steered vehicle into an autonomous unmanned ground vehicle.

Robots are made to assist us. But in the history of robotic development there have been as many epic failures as incremental successes. Here, PM editorial adviser, author and roboticist Daniel H. Wilson corrals five of the most useless robots.

Robots That Dress Like Animals for Science

To better understand animal behavior, scientists are dressing up data-gathering robots in animal garb. By fitting in with their unsuspecting friends, robot bees, turkeys and lizards are recording intimate details of habitats that were never before seen.

As more details of Air France 447's final minutes become known, deep-sea technology experts are saying that the recovery of the aircraft's black boxes will be difficult, but not impossible, with the help of deep-sea-diving robots.

Robotic Task Force: A Two-Robot, Bomb-Defusing, Riot-Controlling, Firefighting Team (With Video!)

Two robots can defuse dirty bombs, take on riots and fight fires-giving their controller a comfortable distance from dangerous situations. Here is an up-close look from the show floor of Robobusiness 2009.

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Inspecting high-rise construction sites is a dangerous job, but somebody-or some robot-has to do it. Engineers at Virginia Tech built the HyDRAS-Ascent II to climb by encircling a beam and twisting its 90-degree joints in sequence.

Google News: Robot Video: Toby Schroder of Fierce Robot explains SEO, announces Startup Drinks Lincoln - Silicon Prairie News (blog)

Toby Schroder of Fierce Robot explains SEO, announces Startup Drinks Lincoln Silicon Prairie News (blog) Although I talked with Schroder at Awesome Camp, technical difficulties marred our first video interview. Believing Fierce Robot to be a company worth ...

Google News: Robot Video: Cars, beer, Betty White -- and a whole heap of male anxiety Video - Salon

Salon

Cars, beer, Betty White -- and a whole heap of male anxiety Video Salon It may seem a weird way to sell "a departure from the expected," but anything involving a sock monkey getting a tattoo and a robot doing the robot is indeed ... and more »

Google News: Robot Video: HTC Hero used to control Lego Mindstorms robot, blow minds - Recombu

HTC Hero used to control Lego Mindstorms robot, blow minds Recombu ... 8th February 2010 We love phones and we love Lego, so we almost fell off our chairs when we found this video of an HTC Hero controlling a robot. ... HTC Hero App Controls Lego Mindstorms RobotGizmodo Australia all 2 news articles »

Robots : New Articles: Cleatus Robot Toys Seized for Lead Contamination

Border Protection officers and officials from the Consumer Product Safety Commission seized two containers full of FOX Sports Cleatus Robot action figures at a Seattle port in January. The Chinese-made toys, valued at almost $100K, were found to have unacceptable levels of lead in violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

Google News: Robot Video: Video: "Real Steel" Open Casting Call - Auditions for Disney (blog)

Video: "Real Steel" Open Casting Call Auditions for Disney (blog) You can submit a video audition at RealSteelCasting.com whenever you want! The movie is “A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and ... and more »